were all covered with blood. And after mid-day was past, and while they were prophesying, the time was come of offering sacrifice; and there was no voice heard, nor did any one answer, nor regard them as they prayed: Elias said to all the people: Come ye unto me. And the people coming near unto him, he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down: and he took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying: Israel shall be thy name. And he built with the stones an altar to the name of the Lord: and he made a trench for water, of the breadth of two furrows round about the altar. And he laid the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it upon the wood; and he said: Fill four buckets with water, and pour it upon the burnt-offering, and upon the wood. And again he said: Do the same the second time. And when they had done it the second time, he said: Do the same also the third time. And they did so the third time. And the water ran round about the altar: and the trench was filled with water. And when it was now time to offer the holocaust, Elias the prophet came near, and said: O Lord God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel, shew this day that Thou art the God of Israel, and I Thy servant; and that according to Thy commandment I have done all these things. Hear me, O Lord, hear me; that this people may learn that Thou art the Lord God, and that Thou hast turned their heart again. Then the fire of the Lord fell; and consumed the holocaust, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust; and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw this, they fell on their faces, and they said: The Lord He is God, the Lord He is God. And Elias said to them: Take the prophets of Baal; and let not one of them escape. And when they had taken them, Elias brought them down to the torrent Cison, and killed them there. And Elias said to Achab: Go up, eat, and drink: for there is a sound of abundance of rain. Achab went up to eat and drink: and Elias went up to the top of Carmel: and casting himself down

upon the earth, put his face between his knees and he said to his servant: Go up, and look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said: There is nothing. And again he said to him: Return seven times. And at the seventh time, behold, a little cloud arose out of the sea like a man's foot. And he said: Go up, and say to Achab: Prepare thy chariot, and go down, lest the rain prevent thee. And while he turned himself this way and that way, behold, the heavens grew dark with clouds and wind; and there fell a great rain. And Achab getting up, went away to Jezrahel: and the hand of the Lord was upon Elias: and he girded up his loins, and ran before Achab, till he came to Jezrahel.

CHAP. XVIII. Elias in the Desert.

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AND Achab told Jezabel all that Elias had done, and how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. And Jezabel sent a messenger to Elias, saying: Such and such things may the gods do to me, and add still more, if by this hour to-morrow I make not thy life as the life of one of them. Then Elias was afraid and rising up he went whithersoever he had a mind: and he came to Bersabee of Juda, and left his servant there: and he went forward, one day's journey into the desert. And when he was there, and sat under a juniper-tree, he requested for his soul that he might die; and said: It is enough for me, Lord; take away my soul: for I am no better than my fathers. And he cast himself down, and slept in the shadow of the juniper-tree: and behold, an angel of the Lord touched him, and said to him: Arise, and eat. He looked, and behold, there was at his head a hearth-cake, and a vessel of water: and he ate and drank; and he fell asleep again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said to him: Arise, eat; for thou hast yet a great way to go. And he arose, and ate, and drank; and walked in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights, unto the mount of God, Horeb. And when he

was come thither, he abode in a cave: and behold, the word of the Lord came unto him: and He said to him: What doest thou here, Elias? And he answered: With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant: they have thrown down Thy altars; they have slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I alone am left; and they seek my life to take it away. And He said to him: Go forth, and stand upon the mount, before the Lord : and behold, the Lord passeth; and a great and strong wind before the Lord overthrowing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces: the Lord is not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake: the Lord is not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire the Lord is not in the fire: and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air. And when Elias heard it, he covered his face with his mantle, and coming forth stood in the entering in of the cave; and behold, a voice unto him, saying: What doest thou here, Elias? And he answered: With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant: they have destroyed thy altars : they have slain thy prophets with the sword; and I alone am left; and they seek my life to take it away. And the Lord said to him: Go, and return on thy way through the desert to Damascus: and when thou art come thither, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And thou shalt anoint Jehu the son of Namsi to be king over Israel: and Eliseus the son of Saphat, of Abelmeula, thou shalt anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall escape the sword of Hazael, shall be slain by Jehu: and whosoever shall escape the sword of Jehu, shall be slain by Eliseus. And I will leave me seven thousand men in Israel, whose knees have not been bowed before Baal, and every mouth that hath not worshipped him, kissing the hands. And Elias departing from thence, found Eliseus the son of Saphat, ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen: and he was one of them that were ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen: and when Elias came up

to him, he cast his mantle upon him. And he forthwith left the oxen, and ran after Elias, and said: Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother; and then I will follow thee. And he said to him: Go, and return back for that which was my part, I have done to thee. And returning back from him, he took a yoke of oxen and killed them, and boiled the flesh with the plough of the oxen, and gave to the people; and they ate and rising up he went away, and followed Elias, and ministered to him.

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CHAP. XIX. The Murder of Naboth.

NABOTH, a man of Jezrahel, had at this time a vineyard near the palace of Achab king of Samaria. And Achab spoke to Naboth, saying: Give me thy vineyard, that I may make me a garden of herbs, because it is nigh, and joining to my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard or if thou think it more convenient for thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. Naboth answered him: The Lord be merciful to me, and not let me give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And Achab came into his house angry and fretting, because of the word that Naboth the Jezrahelite had spoken to him, saying: I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And casting himself upon his bed, he turned away his face to the wall, and would eat no bread. And Jezabel his wife went in to him, and said to him: What is the matter that thy soul is so grieved? and why eatest thou no bread? And he answered her: I spoke to Naboth the Jezrahelite, and said to him: Give me thy vineyard, and take money for it or if it please thee, I will give thee a better vineyard for it. And he said: I will not give thee my vineyard. Then Jezabel his wife said to him: Thou art of great authority indeed, and governest well the kingdom of Israel. Arise, and eat bread, and be of good cheer: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezrahelite. So she wrote letters in Achab's name, and sealed them with his ring,

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and sent them to the ancients, and the chief men that were in his city, and that dwelt with Naboth. And this was the tenor of the letters: Proclaim a fast: and make Naboth sit among the chief of the people: and suborn two men, sons of Belial, against him: and let them bear false witness, that he hath blasphemed God and the king: and then carry him out, and stone him, and so let him die. And the men of his city, the ancients and nobles, that dwelt with him in the city, did as Jezabel had commanded them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them: they proclaimed a fast, and made Naboth sit among the chief of the people. And bringing two men, sons of the devil, they made them sit against him and they, like men of the devil, bore witness against him before the people, saying: Naboth hath blasphemed God and the king: wherefore they brought him forth without the city, and stoned him to death. And they sent to Jezabel, saying: Naboth is stoned, and is dead. And it came to pass, when Jezabel heard that Naboth was stoned, and dead, that she said to Achab: Arise, and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezrahelite, who would not agree with thee, and give it thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead. And when Achab heard this, to wit, that Naboth was dead, he arose, and went down into the vineyard of Naboth the Jezrahelite, to take possession of it. And the word of the Lord came to Elias the Thesbite, saying: Arise, and go down to meet Achab king of Israel, who is in Samaria: behold, he is going down to the vineyard of Naboth, to take possession of it and thou shalt speak to him, saying: Thus saith the Lord: Thou hast slain, moreover also thou hast taken possession. And after these words thou shalt add: Thus saith the Lord In this place, wherein the dogs have licked the blood of Naboth, they shall lick thy blood also. And Achab said to Elias: Hast thou found me thy enemy? He said I have found thee, because thou art sold, to do evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and cut off all thy posterity. And I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son

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